Shop With A Cop, Kiwanis bring holiday spirit

Headlight's Beam

If you were short on the holiday spirit the local Kiwanis Club, Deming-Luna County Chamber of Commerce and local law enforcement saw to it you got a belly-full of it this past weekend.

The annual Shop With A Cop event brought over 400 kids to the Deming Big Kmart on Saturday to shop early for Christmas gifts. Each child was recommended by the Deming Public Schools on a need basis and had a chance to shop with a law enforcement official.

The SWAC committee held fund raisers throughout the year and some of the funds were donated from private citizens, organizations and businesses in Deming and Luna County.

Children met with Santa Claus before making a mad sprint to the toy section of the store. Others shopped for clothing, electronics and footwear.

Some of the children shared their joy by shopping for other members of their family.

Kmart and the local law enforcement agencies have worked together on this project for over 20 years and it never fails to form a snowball-size lump in your throat and make your eyes well up.

Kmart employees Dan Mesa and Mary Lou Ramirez have been through every one of the Shop With A Cop events and can tell you the feeling is mutual.

The Kiwanis Club may keep a low profile in town, but the club's propensity for modesty is only rivaled by what they do for children in our schools and the community.

They have joined forces with the Deming-Luna County Chamber of Commerce to bring the Christmas Light Parade to town.

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Saturday's flash of holiday cheer paraded through the streets of Deming and was topped off with a visit from Santa Claus at the Luna County Courthouse Park.

City of Deming officials have also decorated the city streets with that hint of the holidays and Santa is expected at 1st New Mexico Bank this week.

In Deming and Luna County: "'Tis the season to be jolly."

Billy Armendariz is Editor of the Deming Headlight. The Headlight's Beam was founded by former Headlight Editor and late career newspaperman Harold Cousland.

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